So Dave, i’m setting up a brand new bush this year on 3/16, you recommend using 5/16 drops??...I also want to try these zap bac spouts, but would it make more sense to just use seasonal spouts the first year on virgin tubing/fittings, then replace those with the zap bac spouts the following season....thoughts??
If you use a 3/16" drop with 3/16 or 5/16 laterals you gain 2" of vacuum at the tree. The other way around you have air to the tree which shorten the season by delivering bacteriaOriginally Posted by maple flats
Fred Ahrens
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Where are you getting that data from?
Sugaring for 45+ years
New Sugarhouse 14'x32'
New to Me Algier 2'x8' wood fired evaporator
2022 added a used RB25 RO Bucket
250 mostly Sugar Maples, 15% Soft Maples. Currently,(110on 3/16" and 125 on Shurflo 4008 vacuum, 15 gravity), (16,000 before being disabled)
1947 Farmall H and Wagon with gathering tank
2012 Kubota with forks to move wood around
To buy the 3/16 antimicrobial spout contact Catskill mountain maple in DeLancey,ny. Personally I like a 5/16 drop with 3/16 lateral. I have not used the antimicrobial spouts on new tubing, I like the white spouts.
I am looking at trying some this year also. I have a few runs of 3/16 that are do to be replaced and will go with these spouts even on new tubing as you need to change the drop after 3 years anyway. If only changing every 3 years it brings the yearly cost equal to seasonal spouts.
Smoky Lake 2x6 dropflu pans and hoods on homemade arch
Smoky Lake 6 gallon water jacked bottler
Concentric Exhaust
250 Deer Run RO
325 taps
What exactly is in a zap back spout? Why is it antimicrobial ?Does anybody know? Maybe everyone knows and I'm the only one that doesn't? Lol
Nate Hutchins
Nate & Kate's Maple
2022 1000 taps?
3x10 Intensofire
20x36 sugarhouse
CDL 600gph RO
A wife and 2 kids.
According to studies I have looked at, both Cornell and PRMC, it seems both indicate that since in a 3/16 drop the sap and air do not pass each other, a 3/16 drop will allow more sap to re-enter the tree as vacuum is shut off or as the tree freezes. In 5/16 the air (gases) can and do pass the sap, thus much less is pulled back into the tap hole when the vacuum shuts off or the tree freezes because the the sap in the line falls and mstly gases go back in.
I do not shut my vacuum off until 2-3 hours after freeze up, but some sap may still be liquid.
Dave Klish, I recently bought a 2x6 wood fired evaporator from A&A Sheet Metal which I will be converting to oil fired
Now have solar, 2x6 finish pan, 5 bank 7x7 filter press, large water jacketed bottler, and tankless water heater.
Recently bought another Gingerich RO, this one was a 125, but a second membrane was added thus is a 250, like I had.
After running a 2x3, a 2x6, 3x8 tapping from 79 taps up to 1320 all woodfired, now I'm going to a 2x6 oil fired and a 200-425 taps.
According to the CDL catalog, the antimicrobial spout "Contains silver nanoparticles, approved by Health Canada and the FDA."
They are listed there at 45 cents each.
However, they are not generally allowed in certified organic maple operations.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
That is generally the case in 3/16" tubing (drops and lateral lines), which is how/why vacuum is created. In that small a line, capillarity and surface tension (water "sticks" to itself fairly strongly) don't easily let air flow through the slugs of sap. The air gets pushed/pulled out of the system instead of rising to the top, creating vacuum.
Dr. Tim Perkins
UVM Proctor Maple Research Ctr
http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc
https://mapleresearch.org
Timothy.Perkins@uvm.edu
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